This year, the HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF) is celebrating its Sweet 16th birthday! Founded in 2004 by Theo Dumont and Daniel Sol, the festival is for short films around the world and one of several prolific stops in the short film festival circuit; it has, in fact, recently received the status of being an Oscar-qualifying festival. With screenings, networking events, and various panels and forums, HollyShorts annually churns out the glitz and glam for its bite-sized features.
As COVID-19 still looms over the world, however, HollyShorts has moved this year’s programmes entirely online. From November 9th to the 15th, viewers can, for $50 (plus a $3 service fee), purchase an all-access pass on the new streaming platform Bitpix (which is available for download on most smartphones and smart TVs) and screen the festival’s entire catalogue of films from the comfort of their own home. “It’s important to us to continue showcasing the very best in short films while keeping our filmmakers safe,” said Dumont, Sol, and fellow festival organizer Nicole Castro in a joint statement. “Our filmmakers are the most important part of this festival and to be able to stream our Sweet 16th anniversary on Bitpix assures that they can stay healthy and actively participate in the HollyShort community that unites over 80 countries.”
Even with the pandemic at large, the festival has received over 6,000 submissions from over 110 countries across a multitude of genres this year, allowing the HollyShorts to fill out its featured diverse film blocks, most notably its Amplifying Black Voices, LGBTQ+, LATINX, #TimesUp, and Women in Film categories. From the 6,000 submissions, HollyShorts has whittled down this year’s festival line-up to 418 shorts, with 128 international films coming from 36 countries. Some films already with major buzz include: David starring William Jackson Harper (The Good Place), Will Ferrell, and Fred Hechinger (Eighth Grade); 8:46 directed by Deon Taylor and starring Tyrese Gibson; Maya Albanese’s Freeze, which stars Nora Zehetner (The Right Stuff) and Adrian Grenier (Entourage); Query, starring Justice Smith (Jurassic World) and Armie Hammer; and If Anything Happens I Love You, executive-produced by Laura Dern.
At the end of the festival, HollyShorts will, in sponsorship with Panavision and Final Draft and True Vision Entertainment (among many others), award the best of best across 20+ categories (Best Female Director, Best Diversity, Best Student, etc, to name a few). The festival’s top honour Best Short Film Grand Prize will grant the winning film automatic eligibility in the Live Action Short Film category at the upcoming Academy Awards.
The Nerd Daily will cover the festival with film reviews, interviews with competing filmmakers, and an overall recap of the festival’s week-long run. So, stay tuned!
For more information, head over to www.hollyshorts.com.
